Researchers found a way to eavesdrop on headphones from 30 meters away, and encryption can't stop it
Researchers from Hong Kong universities have developed a technique called InjectEave that allows attackers to eavesdrop on headphones and other devices from up to 30 meters away. The method works by injecting radio signals that interact with analog hardware components, causing them to leak audio and other data. This side-channel attack bypasses conventional digital encryption because the information leakage occurs in the physical analog path of the devices.
- ▪The InjectEave attack was successfully tested on 11 commercial devices, including headphones from Sony, Apple, HP, and Philips.
- ▪Researchers used a software-defined radio to transmit signals between 0 MHz and 9 MHz, which interacted with nonlinear components like amplifiers and converters.
- ▪The attack can recover intelligible audio from up to 30 meters away, including through walls, when using an RF power amplifier.
- ▪Conventional digital defenses such as encryption and masking are ineffective against this attack because the leakage originates in the analog hardware path.
- ▪The research was presented at USENIX Security 2026 by teams from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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| Original publisher | TechSpot |
| Canonical URL | https://www.techspot.com/news/113907-researchers-found-way-eavesdrop-headphones-30-meters-away.html |
| Publication time | Sat, 19 Sep 2026 15:09 -0500 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-19T20:13:46.247Z |
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Electronics Security hacking audio Researchers found a way to eavesdrop on headphones from 30 meters away, and encryption can't stop it The InjectEave attack was tested on 11 devices, including headphones from Sony, Apple, HP, and Philips By Skye Jacobs September 19, 2026, 15:09 Add TechSpot Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. The big picture: Researchers in Hong Kong have developed a technique that uses injected radio signals to extract audio and other information from headphones, phones and smart-home devices. Called InjectEave, the method targets analog components that can leak signals too weak to capture through conventional electromagnetic eavesdropping.
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